Zurich researchers want to make works of art forgery-proof with DNA
Published: Monday, Apr 8th 2024, 13:10
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DNA molecules to protect works of art from forgery. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) have developed a new molecular test method that helps to prove the authenticity of works of art.
The new technology is forgery-proof, ETH Zurich announced on Monday.
The test procedure is based on a pool of 100 million different DNA molecules. If you own such a DNA pool, you own the lock of the security system, so to speak. If you have a special key, you receive a certain output value that can be used to check the authenticity of a work of art.
A short sequence of DNA building blocks serves as the key. During a so-called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), it searches the pool of hundreds of millions of DNA molecules for a molecule with a suitable value. The matching molecule is amplified by the reaction. An output value can then be read from this using DNA sequencing.
Mix in color
This enables artists to make their paintings forgery-proof, as ETH Zurich explained in the press release. For example, if ten copies of a painting exist, the artist can mark them with the DNA pool: According to the university, they can mix the DNA into the paint, for example, or spray it onto the work.
If several owners later want to have the authenticity of these works of art confirmed, they can join forces, agree on a key (i.e. an input value) and carry out the DNA test. If the test results in the same output value in all cases, all tested specimens are genuine. According to the researchers, the technology could also be used to trace raw materials and industrial products.
"Our system is based on real chance. Input and output values are physically linked, and you can only get from the input value to the output value, not the other way around," explained study leader Robert Grass in the ETH press release. The researchers presented the new method in the scientific journal "Nature Communications".
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